Our music
For God’s glory. For the church’s good.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we seek singing that honours God and forms us in the likeness of Christ: renewing our understanding, ordering our loves, and directing our actions.
Guiding principles
God-glorifying lyrics.
We work with songs that speak truthfully of God, teach the vocabulary of his kingdom, and equip singers with theology for a cross-shaped life.
Music serves the lyric.
Artful arrangement, fitting expression, and skilful accompaniment should help sung truth renew the mind, kindle the heart, and guide the hands. Every choice of voicing, dynamics, and expression should serve the particular words and phrases being sung, bringing their meaning and the author’s intent into clearer focus.
Congregational singing is our priority.
We value singing together over performance, and our music aims to strengthen congregational participation, understanding, and confidence.
Simple beauty.
We believe that profound beauty is possible when dignified restraint and subtle artistry combine to support congregational song, whether in unison or harmony. This is possible at any scale, from a single guitar to a contemporary band, from pipe organ to symphony orchestra.
Psalms and hymns for the singing church
We aim to develop a substantial repertoire for Lord’s Day gatherings, family worship, and the varied circumstances of Christian life. Two connected projects would give this work its initial focus.
The Psalter Project would support metrical psalmody, Genevan settings, and Anglican chant. Each would receive resources suited to its musical form: clear texts and tunes for metrical singing, or carefully marked prose texts, matching chant scores, demonstrations, and instruction for Anglican chant.
The Hymnal Project would provide arrangements, recordings, and teaching resources for selected hymns from our shared inheritance. Eligible public-domain repertoire, including hymns found in the Sing! Hymnal, would offer a starting point. We also hope to work with publishers and composers to extend the repertoire where there is a shared purpose and suitable permissions can be secured.
Churches would be able to find material consistent with their own convictions and worship practices, including a complete pathway for those that sing only psalms without accompaniment. Congregational resources, optional choral works, and teaching demonstrations would be clearly distinguished.
Learn more about our heritage
Layered arrangements. Many possibilities.
We aim to create coordinated musical layers, from unaccompanied voices to a full orchestra. Begin with a melody, an unaccompanied vocal score, or a single accompaniment—each satisfying in its own right—then add parts to suit your gathering.
Additional parts would enrich that foundation, with clear guidance about which layers are essential or optional. Multitrack recordings would allow churches to supplement their musicians where helpful, while separate rehearsal recordings would help singers and players prepare with confidence.
Depending on the piece, a resource package could include:
| Resource | Intended contents |
|---|---|
| Scores and parts | Melody and lead sheets, chord charts, numbered charts, vocal scores, keyboard accompaniments, full scores, and individual instrumental parts. |
| Recordings | Complete performances, multitrack recordings, accompaniment tracks, separate vocal and instrumental recordings, and rehearsal aids. |
| Words for worship | Copyable lyrics and PowerPoint and ProPresenter materials ready for local templates and themes. |
| Teaching resources | Demonstration videos, explanations of particular parts, rehearsal guidance, and manageable practice tasks. |
Each release would bring together matching scores, recordings, and teaching, helping churches move confidently from choosing a song to singing it together.
Musical knowledge, handed on.
Our faculty would be musician-teachers: people who develop their own craft while helping others understand, practise, and pass on what they have learned.
We intend to build a growing library of vocal and instrumental teaching videos, supported by printable materials and guided practice. Short lessons would help musicians prepare particular songs and parts; progressive courses would develop technique, musicianship, ensemble skills, and the ability to teach others.
The aim is to develop musical judgement alongside accuracy: how to breathe with singers, shape a phrase, balance an accompaniment, and recognise when fewer notes would better serve the congregation. Lessons would grow out of tuition, rehearsals, and recording, connecting explanation with real musical decisions.
Carefully prepared. Freely shared.
Churches and households would test resources during development, helping shape the finished editions. Specialists would review musical parts for range, breathing, bowing, balance, and playability. We would maintain published materials and provide a clear way to report difficulties and obtain corrections.
A substantial public-domain core, supported by RMI’s own arrangements, recordings, and teaching, would provide a practical pathway for churches seeking independence from paid licensing systems. Each release would explain its permissions clearly, distinguishing freely usable resources from any material requiring additional licences.
Our aim is to make dependable resources available directly to churches and households, with creation and maintenance supported by endowment. Musical richness should remain within reach of a small congregation, an unaccompanied gathering, or a family singing at home.
Learn more about our philosophy